Congress Is Listening
ADAO has just returned from Washington, D.C. and we are proud to have brought our community’s voice to Congress. On Monday, July 23rd, we met with the offices of Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D –CA) and Senator Max Baucus (D –MT) to discuss the Safe Chemicals Act of 2012. This bill aims to give a greater amount of regulatory power to the EPA so that the agency can properly control chemicals used in the United States. ADAO was greeted warmly, and we discussed new, asbestos-related language that was added to the bill. ADAO supports the Safe Chemicals Act of 2012, which was drafted by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D –NJ), and co-sponsored by another 23 Senators. The bill passed out of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Wednesday, and will soon go to the Senate floor for a vote. ADAO was honored to be mentioned in Sen. Baucus press release.
ADAO continued our work at the Capitol by hosting a House staff briefing luncheon on Tuesday. The briefing, “Asbestos: Environmental and Occupational Exposure Continues” was a great success, and was attended by many staff members representing 17 states. Barbara Minty McQueen, Dr. Richard Lemen, Dr. Barry Castleman, Brent Kynoch, and I spoke about the dangers of asbestos and impact on public health. Following the briefing, ADAO had numerous Member meetings which gave us the opportunity express our concerns regarding asbestos and the need to prevent asbestos exposure to eliminate disease. ADAO owes our deep gratitude to Representative Lois Capps (D- CA 23rd) and Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN 9th) who arranged the briefing room.
Your voices were heard; Congress is listening! Our latest “Six Word Quotes for Congress” campaign has been a national and international success. ADAO will continue this campaign for our next trip to Washington, D.C. and we encourage you to continue to send us your six words through our Facebook page. The more voices we have, the louder we become, and the stronger we are.
We have lots to share: videos, photos, and our ADAO PowerPoint presentation with you!
In unity,
Linda
Linda Reinstein Social Networks
ADAO Social Networks